“Young people in Taiwan don’t cook very often. They eat lunch at the office and dinner at the night market with their family, leisurely walking around to enjoy the rich cuisine in these markets”.

There’s a good reason that Taiwan has long been regarded as a culinary paradise and a wonder to tourists. Taiwanese cuisine is sophisticated, rich, and perse, and showcases the creativity of its influences, a perfect blend of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and even a bit of Western culture.

Thanks to the well-developed agriculture and fishery sectors, Taiwanese chefs often use fresh, local ingredients, spiced with a bit of creativity to create exquisite dishes for diners.

Oyster omelette

The eggs are the perfect foil for the little oysters, which are easily found around the island.

Taiwan is famous for its night market cuisine. You must stop by a food cart that sells the oyster omelette, the best representative of Taiwanese cuisine. This dish combines the seafood flavour of oysters, fatty flavour of eggs, as well as vegetables and sauces. Oyster omelette is always a popular dish for both locals and foreign tourists alike.

Stinky tofu

You might get addicted to stinky tofu

Walking around the market, you’ll be greeted by the faint stench of stinky tofu. Many people won’t dare to try it, but if you do, you will be addicted t this unique scent and enjoy its rich, sweet taste. It will surely be an unforgettable experience.

Pan-fried buns

Like the fluffiness of cake and the crunchiness of potato chips? This pan-fried bun gives you the best of both worlds.

The buns are made with spongy white Chinese bread that's pan-fried on the bottom. Break one open and you reveal a moist, porky filling. A Shanghainese staple, the Taiwanese version differs in two ways: it's slightly bigger and it hits the pan upside-down.

Tian-bu-la

At food carts that sell fried and baked dishes, you will enjoy the creativity of ingredients in Taiwanese cuisine. You will encounter many strange dishes, that even after tasting, you will not be able to guess the ingredients. Tian-bu-la (tempura) is fried or baked fish paste of different shapes, served with a sweet brown sauce.

Zhu-xue-gao

Another odd dish is Zhu Xue Gao , made from glutinous rice and pork, and popular among Taiwanese, thanks to the sticky rice and sweet taste of pig’s blood. The snack is covered in a layer of peanut powder and cut into slices.

Zhu-xue-gao is made from glutinous rice and pork

Jipai – fried chicken steak

Another dish worth trying at the night market is Jipai – fried chicken steak, made from chicken breast coated in a layer of flour and fried until the crust is crispy. You can enjoy the sweet taste of fresh chicken meat, juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside. Each food cart has its own marinade, so the taste of this dish will vary.

Beef noodles

A bowl of beef noodles is perfect for a cold night in Taiwan

If you’re not fond of fried snacks, you can stop by a street cart that serves fresh Hand-made thick noodles are cooked with tenderloin beef and vegetables. The best part of this dish is the soup stock, with rich flavours thanks to ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Beef noodles are cooked with tenderloin beef and vegetables

Ribs stewed in medicinal herbs

are a great dish for cold winter days. Goat or pig ribs are cooked with roots, herbs, and dried fruits until tender. This is a healthy dish that helps nourish the body. The sweet taste of bone broth combines with the aroma of medicinal herbs will surely warm up diners.

Spicy hot pot (Ma la)

The hot broth combines seafood, beef, meatballs, fish balls, vegetables, and mushrooms, stimulating all of your senses.

Visiting Taiwan, you must try hot pot, especially spicy hot pot (Ma la). The spice is not made from fresh chilli, but from six types of seeds and herbs to create a strong and rich taste: anise, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, dried chilli, and pepper. The aroma of anise and cinnamon adds to the unforgettable taste of the soup. The hot broth combines seafood, beef, meatballs, fish balls, vegetables, and mushrooms, stimulating all of your senses.

Douhua – a combination of green beans, red beans, and taro

Finally, have some douhua for dessert, a combination of green beans, red beans, and taro, or a glass of boba milk tea will be a perfect finale for your culinary journey.

No matter how many times you visit Taiwan, walking in the culinary paradise – the night market – is always a memorable experience.

Pineapple cake

This iconic Taiwanese pastry -- mini-pies filled with candied pineapple -- is one of Taiwan's best food souvenirs. For one of the top pineapple cake experiences there's SunnyHills, which uses only local pineapples. The result is a darker filling, rougher texture and sourer taste than most.

The pies at other shops are filled with a mix of pineapple and chewable bits of winter melon. They have a fruity sweetness and a golden casing of crumbly, buttery pastry. Stores that replace pineapple completely with winter melon to cut costs are committing a big no-no./.

( VNF/Wanderlust )